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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104742">Too Late</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rattlehead/pseuds/rattlehead'>rattlehead</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:55:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rattlehead/pseuds/rattlehead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After being broken up for some time, Reader goes to check up on Will after one of his nightmares.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Graham/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Too Late</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>there was more to this but i hated it so heres a small excerpt :) i might add onto this later or rewrite it completely, because i really like the concept! i’m just not 100% satisfied with how it came out</p>
<p>constructive criticism is appreciated! im trying to figure out how to use ao3 so please excuse me for being technologically inept</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His lights were still on, lighting up the surrounding field with a dull yellow glow. </span>
  <span class="s1">You fidgeted with your fingers before making the final decision to start up to his doorstep. </span>
  <span class="s1">These steps were all too familiar. You avoided the second tread, remembering how it would emit an unpleasant creak under your foot.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You brought your hand up to his door, only second guessing yourself for a moment. At this point, it was too late to go back. He surely already heard your car, if the headlights weren’t already a dead giveaway.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You quickly knocked your knuckles against the wood and the door swung open almost immediately. Slightly taken aback, you couldn’t help but begin rambling.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Will, I’m s-“ your eyes trailed down Will’s body, becoming suddenly aware of the sweat soaking through his shirt, “jesus, are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He avoided your eye contact, “yeah, I’m- I’m fine.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You don’t look fine...” You brought your hands to join with his between your distanced bodies. You couldn’t help but notice the slight dampness of his palms, but chose to ignore it for his sake.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He kept his head down, as if looking you straight in the eye would turn him to stone.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can I come in?” he appeared to perked up at this, like being pulled out of a trance.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah- yes, of course,” his eyes finally met yours, if only for a fraction of a second, and you could tell he was hurting by the way they were slightly glazed over.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You released him from your grip and followed him into the yellow glow of his house. His once white sleep shirt was now striped with dark gray lines of sweat. He cleared his throat, awkwardly wiping his hands off on his boxer shorts, “Would you like something to drink?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just water is fine.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You followed him into the small kitchen, getting a glimpse at his disheveled bed as you walked by.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He started to reach for a glass, but you quickly stopped him, “I’ve got it.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Taken aback, he turned to face you fully, tired eyes staring back at your own. You gave a sympathetic smile, to which he nodded in response, pulling his hand back and opting to sit at the small dining table. You could feel his eyes boring holes into the back of your head, watching you make your way around the familiar kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He cleared his throat, enabling himself to speak a bit louder than he had been, “Why are you here?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You laughed to yourself, bowing your head to the faucet in front of you, “I... I missed you, Will.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His silence urged you to continue, “I know we sort of... left on a bad note, but I still worry about you.” You found it hard to find the right words, and silently cursed yourself for not thinking about it before you came to his house.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You flipped the water off and turned to face Will, who sat only a few feet away from you. He seemed to be deep in thought, or halfway asleep, you couldn’t really tell. You took a seat across from him, slightly lifting the chair to pull it out, as to not scrape the hardwood floor. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sorry I’ve been so distant lately.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you having nightmares again?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He brought his hands to motion to the sweat that hadn’t yet dried, “Evidently.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What are they about?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It... varies. Lately they’ve been about... water? Like a glacier is crashing down in-front of me, I’m soaking wet.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">You nodded, unsure of what to say. Your brain tossed and turned for some sort of response, but all you could muster was a simple, “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Will finally brought his head up to look at you, his tired eyes shining in the dimly lit kitchen, “why?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He slightly cocked his head in genuine curiosity, similar to that of a dog.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why were you sorry? His pain wasn’t your fault, but in a way it was. When he needed you most, you abandoned him, “For leaving you, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He smiled and shook his head, “I don’t <em>need</em> you to function, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I know,” you rested your head on your palm, “but at least I could try to help.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Will brought his hand up from underneath the table and reached across to intertwine your fingers together. It was a small, but comforting gesture, to know he wanted to hold you.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, thank you. For being here, especially now.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Your nose began to sting and your eyes water, you felt bad for Will, but you couldn’t handle being with him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Is it too late to say I love you?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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